VIT Pune Wins SIDTM Pune Agentic AI Hackathon 2026
Team MetaMask from VIT Pune clinched the top prize at SIDTM Pune's national-level Hackathon'26, which focused on the cutting-edge field of Agentic AI.
In a high-stakes display of technological prowess, Team MetaMask from VIT Pune emerged as the grand champions of the national-level Hackathon'26. Hosted by the Symbiosis Institute of Digital and Telecom Management (SIDTM), Pune, the two-day event focused on the revolutionary field of Agentic AI—systems designed to move beyond simple responses to independently identify problems and make autonomous decisions.
The competition, themed “AI with Initiative: AI Makes the First Move,” took place on September 4 and 5, 2026, at the SIDTM Lavale Hilltop campus. It brought together the brightest young minds from across India to tackle complex, industry-inspired challenges using proactive artificial intelligence.
A Massive Scale of Competition
The hackathon saw an overwhelming response from the student community, attracting over 500 registrations. From an initial pool of 90 teams and 270 participants, only nine elite teams were shortlisted to compete in the offline grand finale in Pune. These finalists represented prestigious institutions, including:
- VIT Pune
- NMIMS Mumbai
- SOIL Gurgaon
- SIMS
- SIT Nagpur
- MIT Pune
- TiME Nagpur
The Ultimate Stress Test
The journey to the top was far from easy. While the first round required teams to present case study solutions and prototype concepts, the offline finale pushed them to their absolute limits. After spending the first day building and refining working prototypes, teams faced a unique and daunting challenge: a live, unscripted stress test.
During the final presentations, the jury introduced unexpected complications and real-time hurdles. This was designed to test the resilience of the AI solutions and the ability of the students to adapt their technology under intense pressure.
The Winners' Circle
After rigorous evaluation by a panel of industry experts, the following teams claimed the top honors:
- Winner: Team MetaMask (VIT Pune)
- First Runner-up: Team Strategy Minds (NMIMS Mumbai)
- Second Runner-up: Team Nexus 2 (SOIL Gurgaon)
The finalists competed for a prize pool valued at ₹1.5 lakh. This included ₹1 lakh worth of specialized learning benefits provided by the learning partner, Trainocate Networks India Pvt. Ltd., covering certification courses, corporate training, and advanced learning modules.
Industry Experts Set the Standard
The quality of the competition was upheld by an esteemed jury of industry leaders, ensuring that the solutions met real-world professional standards. The panel included:
- Preetam Dey, Regional Sales Director, Salesforce
- Vikas Mathur, VP Sales, Trainocate India
- Jaidev Dutta, Partner, Deloitte
- Sandeep KT, Senior Principal Consultant, Infosys Consulting
- Harshal Pendse, Founder, Infimatrix
- Samarth Shrivastava, Partner, Deloitte
By hosting Hackathon'26, SIDTM Pune continues to bridge the gap between management education and emerging technology, preparing students to navigate and lead within a rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.